Recently I need to get a cholesterol check. I was faced with going to our regular doctor and paying the yearly deductible and the co-pay of for the initial office visit, the lab test, then a follow-up Dr. visit to discuss the results, get the new prescription, then getting the prescription filled.

Now the insurance i have is not the best but it is better then most and pays pretty good. Still I would be out of pocket several hundred dollars just to get my cholesterol medication refilled.

Instead there is the dark secret world of cash health care. Thats right cash, no insurance co-pays, not insurance forms, and no deductible. just cash. Over the years I have tried several prescription medications for cholesterol management. I ended up on Loped and Niacin. Well Niacin is over the counter and even the time release Niacin id OTC. The loped is on marginal in reducing cholesterol.

So how do I manage this on my own with out spending tons of money on Dr. visits and prescriptions ever year. First this to get a cholesterol test. The blood test to determine where my LDL and HDL values are. I already have copies form previous test that were ordered by my doctor, several years of test.

So we start calling around to get a cholesterol test, most places assume/require insurance and a Dr. prescription. Some lab want $200, $250 for a cholesterol panel. But if you dig enough there are labs that do not require a prescription and will do the cholesterol panel for a little as $42 dollars. That is way less then going the insurance way.

But when they set up your lab test draw, they warn you to only show the lab the work order that was e-mail to you. Using any other paper work may result in additional fees to be added to your bill. strange but true so to get your $42 dollar test follow the instructions.

Once I have a base line I will continue to take the time release Niacin and supplement with plant sterols. Plant sterols are supposed to be natures way of dealing with lowering cholesterol. This way I’m not dealing with the side effect of using a statin.

So in the end I will be paying cash, saving money and lowering my cholesterol naturally.

So the bigger question is how big is the CASH healthcare movement ? and why is the CASH plan so much less expensive?